|
 Camille Cosby's lawyers have accused the attorneys for the
seven women of acting improperly during a Feb. 22 deposition
about the lawsuit, one of a series of actions by women who have
accused Bill Cosby of sex abuse, toppling him from his position
as one of the United States' best-loved entertainers.
"Plaintiffs' counsel, Joseph Cammarata, asked Mrs. Cosby a
litany of improper and offensive questions, including questions
regarding her own sexual relations, her own political
commentary, and the death of the Cosby's son in 1997," they said
in papers filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. "These
questions were irrelevant to the issues in this case and plainly
were designed to annoy, embarrass, and oppress the witness."
Cammarata has previously defended asking Camille Cosby, 72,
direct questions about sex, saying it was appropriate given the
subject matter involved. The seven women have sued Bill Cosby
for defamation, saying that he lied when he denied sexually
assaulting them.
"Are we going to talk about the sexual history? Of course. Are
we going to talk about the extramarital activity? Yes,"
Cammarata said in a January hearing. "We already know these
subject matters."
More than 50 women have accused Bill Cosby, best known for his
role as the father character in the 1980s television hit "The
Cosby Show" of sexually assaulting them, often after plying them
with drugs and alcohol, in a string of incidents dating back
decades.
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Most of the alleged crimes are too old to be the subject of criminal
prosecution. But authorities in Pennsylvania charged the 78-year-old
entertainer with sexually assaulting a woman in 2005.
Cosby, who is out on bail, has repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy, who will preside over
Tuesday's hearing in Worcester, Massachusetts, last week ruled that
any further depositions of Bill Cosby related to the suit will be
postponed until after the Pennsylvania criminal charges are
resolved.
Tamara Green filed the Massachusetts lawsuit in December 2014. She
was later joined by six other women who say Cosby sexually assaulted
or abused and defamed them by calling them liars.
Cosby has counter sued, accusing the women of defaming him.
(Reporting by Scott Malone; Editing by Alistair Bell)
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